Page 125 of Twisted Tyrant


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NATASHA

The impact of Luka’s words makes my heart shudder. “Maybe I’ll be able to let it go. Someday. But right now, I have to figure out how to tell my family what happened and who my father really was.”

The next thirty minutes are silent as we drive to my parents’ house. At least, the car is silent. My mind, on the other hand, is a mess of noise. The security gates leading to our property are open.

What the hell is that about? Did my father forget to lock them while he was trying to execute his plot to take over the world?

I wring my hands together when Luka pulls up in front of my parents’ house and stare up at the white stucco mansion.

“You want me to go in with you?” he asks.

I take a deep, shuddering breath. “No, I need to do this myself. Bringing you would be too…messy, all things considered.”

He nods and gets out of the car, walking around to open my door. I get out, my knees wobbly. He dips his head until our foreheads touch. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I force a smile and graze his lips with my own before walking toward the front door.

I take the stairs like I’m walking the green mile. When the door opens and I see my mother’s shocked expression, the tears flood my vision. They spill down the sides of my face. I fall into her outstretched arms, sobbing into her shoulder.

Mom doesn’t speak. She only strokes the back of my hair, just like she did when I was young and thought the world was ending. As the minutes pass, the tears finally subside, and I realize we’re still standing in the doorway.

“My baby girl,” Mom whispers against my hair, her own blue eyes glittering with tears. “Oh my God. How are you here right now? How did you get away?”

I pull away, wiping the tears from my eyes. “I didn’t get away. Luka, the man who took me, drove me here.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t understand. Is he letting you go? What about your father?”

“Dad is dead,” I say flatly, unable to conjure up the slightest bit of emotion to go along with those words.

“Dead?”

I watch her face for a few seconds, waiting for some indication that she feels something, that the news I just delivered has some impact.

Instead, her pinched expression relaxes. She expels a deep breath and presses her fingertips to her forehead. “He’s dead,” she murmurs. “Thank God.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Mom takes me by the arm, shuts the door, and leads me into the living room. “Sit down, Natasha.”

I drop onto the cream-colored sofa and Mom sinks down next to me, taking my shaking hands in hers. “Can you please explain to me why you look so relieved right now?”

“Your father was an evil man, baby. Dangerous, vengeful, and deadly.” Her lips twist. “He deserved worse than death.”

My eyes pop open wide. “So you knew?”

“For years, I did everything in my power to keep you girls shielded from him. He was violent and beat me, always careful to never leave marks where you girls would see them. He raped me repeatedly over the years, trying to get me pregnant with a son, but I’d gotten my tubes tied to make sure that would never happen.”

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry, Mom.” I reach out and grasp her hand.

She sighs. “I’d tried to leave him twice, to take you girls away from here forever. Both times, he killed the people who were going to help us escape. He knew everything, had me followed, my phone lines traced, my computer usage tracked. I had no ability to get away from him. He threatened to kill me if I tried to leave, then made threats against you girls and against my family. I knew he would carry through with them. I became his prisoner. Staying here and putting on a brave, smiling face was the only way to keep you all safe. And I failed you anyway when I didn’t stop that man from taking you. I’m so sorry I wasn’t strong enough to protect you.”

I wrap my arms around her, burying my head in her perfume-scented neck. “I was angry that you let me go and never tried to find me or help me. I had no idea about Dad. And today, he…”

My voice halts, the dark memories of his last moments clouding my mind. “He showed me who and what he really was.” I recount all of the sordid details — of the marriage arrangement, the reason why he’d had me kidnapped in the first place, and the part where he tried to kill Luka.

“He’s gone,” Mom says when I finally finish. “We’re free. The Devil is finally dead.”

“What about the girls?” I ask, my voice dropping since I’m not sure where my sisters are right now. “They will be devastated.”

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